Hand actuated paper bag novelty



May 6, 1969 J. c. PANZER 3,442,043

HAND ACTUATED PAPER BAG NOVELTY Filed Sept. 25, 1966 Sheet of 2 INVENTOR.

Fig. 3 JOYCE C. PANZER ATTORNEYS May 6, 1969 J. C- PANZER HAND ACTUATED PAPER BAG NOVELTY Filed Sept. 25, 1966 Ffg. 4

She

et 2 of2 Fig. 5

INVENTOR.

JOYCE C. PANZ ER jlapim ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,442,043 HAND ACTUATED PAPER BAG NOVELTY Joyce C. Panzer, 2657 Friar Drive, Parma, Ohio 44134 Filed Sept. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 581,643 Int. Cl. A63h 33/00, 3/14; B65d 31 /00 U.S. CI. 46-11 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE said animation.

This invention relates generally to novelties or toys designed for the amusment of children, but has reference more particularly to a novelty or toy of this character which utilizes a conventional paper bag in its construction or formation.

It has heretofore been proposed, as in Patent No. 2,840,950, to provide a hand puppet for the amusement of children, but which requires, in its manufacture, a glove-like member or mitten of special construction or formation, which tends to make the cost of manufacture relatively high.

Similar toys or novelties are disclosed in Patents Nos. 2,571,744 and 3,183,622, but here, again, the devices are of special construction, requiring the use of blocks or foldable blanks of a specific form.

The present invention has, as its principal object, the provision of a hand-actuated novelty or toy of the character described, in the form of a conventional or ordinary paper bag, in which the construction of the bag, together with the lithographing or imprinting thereon of an amusing face or similar figure, enables the bag to be used or animated in a manner similar to the glove-like member of the aforesaid Patent No. 2,840,950, to provide entertainment or amusement for children and others.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novelty or toy of the character described, which can be made or manufactured at extremely low cost, and given away or furnished as an incident to the sale of other goods.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novelty of the character described which is conducive to greatly increased sales of goods, such as groceries, stables, and the like.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an inverted completely folded or flat paper bag, such as is conventionally used for packing or containing groceries and other items, but having lithographed or imprinted thereon, or otherwise applied to preselected portions thereof, portions of a clowns face, in a manner such as to enable the bag to be used as a hand puppet, in a manner to be described hereinafter;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view, taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bag of FIG. 1, in completely opened or unfolded condition, and

3,442,043 Patented May 6, 1969 FIG. 5 is a side elevational view showing the manner in which the bag is used to animate the clowns face.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawings, there is disclosed an ordinary or conventional paper bag, such as is commonly employed by supermarkets, discount stores, and the like, for containing groceries and other items sold by the stores.

The bag, as best seen in FIG. 4, consists of a front panel 1, a rear panel 2, side panels 3 and 4, and a bottom or bottom panel 5.

The front panel 1 has a crease or fold line, indicated by reference numeral 6, which is parallel to the front edge 7 of the bottom 5, and which enables the portion of the front 1 between the line 6 and the front edge 7 to be folded down flat against the portion of the front 1 below the line 6.

The side panels 3 and 4 are provided with crease or fold lines 8, 9 and 10, the fold lines 8 extending centrally along the panels 3 and 4 to points 11, which are spaced vertically from the bottom 5 a distance substantially equal to the distance of the fold line 6 from the edge 7 of the bottom 5. The fold lines 9 extend diagonally from the corners 12 of the bottom 5 to the points 1.1, and the fold lines 10 extend diagonally from the corners 13 of the bottom 5 to the points 11.

Additional crease or fold lines 14 are provided in the side panels 3 and 4, these fold lines extending from the ends of the fold line 6, parallel with the bottom 5, to the points 11.

The crease or fold lines which have been described are conventionally provided in such paper bags, and enable the bag to be folded to a flat or completely folded condition, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3,, in which the front panel 1 and rear panel 2 are in contacting relationship with the side panels 3 and 4 folded inwardly to lie between the front and rear panels.

In the course of folding the side panels 3 and 4 inwardly, as permitted by the fold lines 8, 9 and 10, the fold lines 6 and 14 permit the bottom 5 to be folded into parallelism with the front panel 1, with the portion of the front panel 1, above the fold line 6, disposed against the front panel 1.

In the manufacture of the bag from a blank or roll of paper from which such bags are conventionally made, the portion of the blank which provides the bottom 5 of the bag has lithographed or imprinted thereon the upper portion of the head or face of a clown, and the portion of the blank which provides the front panel 1 of the bag has similarly applied thereto the lower portion of the head or face of the clown, that is to say, the portion of the clowns head or face which is complemental to the upper portion.

As seen in FIG. 1, the upper portion of the clowns head is the portion of the edge 7 of the bottom, while the lower portion of the clowns head is the portion below the edge 7 of the bottom. The head or face, as shown, has its mouth closed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the portion of the face on the front panel 1 of the bag is extended upwardly substantially to the crease or fold line 6 to provide a portion which, in effect, represents the opened mouth of the clowns head.

The bag is used in the conventional way, that is to say, it is filled with goods purchased at a grocery or other store, and is brought home.

After the contents of the bag have been removed, the empty bag may be used as a hand puppet by a child or adult, in the following manner.

The child will insert its hand into the bag through the opening at the lower end of the bag, as seen in FIG. 5, and move the fingers of the hand up to a position adjacent the inner face of the bottom 5 of the bag, bringing the forward portions of the fingers into the space between the bottom 5 and the portion of the front panel 1 above the crease or fold line 6.

With the forward portions of the fingers in this space, the fingers may be flexed in such a manner as to separate the two portions of the face shown in FIG. 1 from each other, thereby, in effect, animating the face and causing the mouth of the clown to open, this effect being enhanced by reason of the extension of the figure on the front panel above the edge 7, which represents the opened mouth of the clown.

By a reversal of the aforesaid flexing of the fingers, the mouth of the clown is caused to close or to be substantially closed.

In this manner, the mouth of the clown or clowns face may be alternately opened and closed, or actively animated, thereby providing entertainment or amusement for the child or an observer, at a cost which is virtually no greater than the cost of the bag.

The grocer or store dealer is thus enabled to provide low cost amusement for his customers and their children, and, at the same time, to substantially increase his sales or volume of business, as a result of the added incentive of the novelty or toy which is provided by the bag.

Although the invention has been described specifically with reference to a clowns face or head, as the figure which is animated, in puppet-like fashion, by the child, it is to be understood that any other figure or design may be provided on the bottom and front panel of the bag, which figure or design consists of complemental parts or portions which can be moved relatively to each other or animated to provide a movement which is entertaining or educational for the child.

Moreover, although the invention has been described with reference to a paper bag, it is to be understood that it is applicable to conventional bags made of other materials, such, for example, as plastic film, and metal and metallic alloy foil or film, and which are susceptible of having figures or designs of the character described lithographed, imprinted, or otherwise applied thereon.

Also, although the invention has been described with reference to bags used in the conventional way, that is, filled with goods purchased at a grocery or other store, brought home, and then emptied, it will be understood that the invention is also applicable to empty bags which are purchased and brought home to be used by the housewife for packing the childrens lunches, etc.

' Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A paper bag of conventional construction comprising a front panel, a rear panel, sides and a bottom, the end of said bag opposite said bottom being open, said sides having first fold lines extending from said open end of the bag medially along the sides to points spaced from said bottom, second fold lines extending from said points to the corners of said bottom, and third fold lines extending perpendicularly from said points to said front panel, and a fourth fold line in said front panel interconnecting the ends of said third fold lines, whereby said sides may be folded inwardly into parallel contacting relationship with said front and rear panels and said bottom may be folded downwardly into parallel contacting relationship with the upper portion of the front face of said front panel; said bottom and front panel having disposed therein a figure consisting of portions movable relatively to each other to create an animated effect, whereby the hand of a child may be inserted into the lower open end of the bag and moved to a position wherein the fingers are disposable between the bottom and the upper portion of the front panel, and flexed to move the bottom relatively to said upper portion of the front panel to create animation between the portions of said figure.

2. A paper bag, as defined in claim 1, wherein said figure is a head or face, with the portion of the head or face on the bottom being the portion of the head or face above the mouth, and the portion of the head or face on the front panel being the portion of the head or face below the mouth.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 997,063 7/1911 Hordich' 4611 2,000,242 5/1935 Manning 4611 X 2,571,744 10/1951 Midouhas 46-11 2,840,950 7/1958 Cotler 46-175 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

C. R. WENTZEL, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 46154; 22953 

